Friday 30 November 2012

Week 10 Blog Post (For Week 11)




Published on Aug 27, 2012
The new GMC TV commercial titled "Home" featuring the 2012 GMC Denali line-up. This commercial features the 2012 GMC Yukon, Sierra, Terrain and Acadia as they play respective roles throughout the construction of a new home. Because, after all, everyone has a job to do and we build a GMC for everyone.




This advert shows hardworking Americans working to build a house for a family to live in.

For every stage, there is a GMC truck, for the surveyor, to builder to Realtor. Each level is equal.

The messages of building a better future, through wind or shine, of over coming nature and of working together, that all men are equal who work are extremely powerful.

Success is guaranteed (the estate agent sells the home with no problem - unlikely in these times!) if you drive a GMC. The whole thing works like clockwork.

There is very much a frontiersman attitude to the way the house is built with the car being the rock around which everything else flows. It is interesting to note that the workers are clearly focused on whereas the family that moves in (clearly not a blue collar family!) are kept in the distance and just the sound of children laughing is heard from them.

It is the American Dream. The idea of owning (not renting!) your own house, and it features De Crevecoeurs imagery of the community coming together to build the new family a home. The landscape even looks like the  mid-west.

The names of the trucks are interesting. Sierra is Spanish, Yukon is a place in Canada, Acadia includes Quebec - while each sounds fairly frontiers like and native American (not necessarily native meaning Indian) they actually seem to appeal more to Canadians. But the range of GMC's are called the Denali which is Alaska so GMC may be just picking up National Parks in rural areas?

I don't think any analysis of the advert is complete without looking at the song.

It is "Two Story House" George Jones. The name could be analysed to within an inch of its life - Two story as in, there are two stories of America, those that build and those that buy the fruits of the labour? The advert maybe a thinly veiled dig at the White Collar city worker.

George Jones is a very famous and very prolific country and western singer. The fact they chose a country song says a lot about the target market - southern and rural American communities maybe, although that seems a little at odds with the names of the trucks? Two Story House was not a hit of his as far as I can tell, it doesn't even seem to be one his as most of the youtube videos show him singing it with Tammy Wynette, so why they left her out is interesting. I suspect it may be to offset the meaning of the song which is NOT really that great for encouraging people to buy a car:

The song's lyrics – a couple buying a "two-story house" are a metaphor for a failed marriage. Here, a young couple reflects on working hard to achieve the dream of owning a large, two-story house. However, in working to achieve the goal, the couple rarely is able to spend time together to consummate their love. When it comes time to make the move, the couple becomes the envy of their neighbours, and the house is quickly filled with such things as rare antiques, marble floors, chandeliers and more ... but the most important element – love between the couple – is missing.
Wikipeadia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Story_House


So the actual house is going to break up the white collar family which moves in. There is definitely some anti city worker meaning within this advert!

I would like to know how many GMC trucks are sold to blue collar workers as opposed to office workers!

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